EXCLUSIVE
Nine TV executives feared the worst when Seven News boss Anthony De Ceglie was seen leaving a secret meeting with one of his biggest stars, Eddie McGuire.
The Seven boss was seen at the Toorak headquarters of McGuire’s production company JAM TV last Tuesday during de Ceglie’s flyover to address the Melbourne Press Club.
When news of the reunion reached Sydney, it sparked speculation within Nine that De Ceglie was trying to convince the former Millionaire Hot Seat presenter to change channels.
It comes as Seven has been aggressively acquiring rival Aussie Rules’ biggest personalities all year.
The network has already decimated Nine’s Footy Classified program by poaching star presenters Kane Cornes, Caroline Wilson and Craig Hutchison, while also convincing St Kilda legend and former Fox Sports presenter Nick Riewoldt to sign on. came out of retirement and returned to television.
So it made sense that McGuire would be the next big name on his shopping list.
However, Daily Mail Australia can reveal that while Seven is definitely looking to woo McGuire over Nine, it’s not Eddie they’re targeting.
At least not this time.
Instead, network sources said Seven was actually seeking the signature of Eddie’s sportswriter son, Xander McGuire.
Proud parents Eddie and Carla McGuire have seen their children be in high demand in recent months, with jock Joe (left) attracting the attention of football scouts, while rising sports journalist Xander (left) is understood to be right) is receiving offers from both Nine and Seven.
The McGuire men have grown up in the spotlight alongside their famous father, Eddie.
The 21-year-old has proven to be a rising star since joining Nine’s Melbourne newsroom as a sports reporter in June 2022 after interning at the network.
The young laureate revealed that he would be taking a six-month sabbatical from work in May so he could complete the political component of his arts degree from the University of Melbourne at the world-renowned University of St Andrews in Scotland.
Although he indicated he hoped to rejoin Nine when he returned to Australia later this month, it appears De Ceglie would prefer to watch him on his channel rather than those of his rivals.
Since then, Seven is understood to have offered the youngster a dual role on the network, in both news and sport, in a bid to convince him to jump ship.
With Eddie McGuire having spent the last three decades firmly entrenched at Nine, insiders said Xander was excited by the prospect of forging his own career on a different network outside the shadow of his famous father.
De Ceglie has been busy reviewing Seven’s talent list since taking on the top job in April, but declined to reveal his future recruitment plans when contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.
Seven News boss Anthony De Ceglie met Eddie McGuire at his Melbourne offices last Tuesday during a quick visit to the southern capital to deliver a speech at the city’s press club.
Xander McGuire has impressed network bosses since following father Eddie into journalism and it is understood Seven are now interested in signing him for a dual role in both news and sport.
The latest poaching raid comes as Nine continues to cut its staff budget.
The media giant cut nearly 200 jobs earlier this year as part of $30 million worth of cuts, and the company’s interim CEO Matt Stanton has promised to cut another $50 million from its underlying costs this financial year.
Landing the second-generation Nine star would be a coup for Seven, with Nine’s top sports presenter Tony Jones describing Xander as “the best young reporter I’ve seen in almost 40 years”.
The talented reporter has certainly had plenty of time to get comfortable in front of the camera, having landed his first TV job on Ten soap Neighbors in 2015 when he was just 12 years old.
He then became a series regular as troubled teenager Charlie Hoyland, son of Carla Bonner’s longtime character Steph Scully.
Xander has been a regular on Australian television since landing a role as Charlie Hoyland on soap opera Neighbors almost a decade ago when he was just 12 years old.
Eddie McGuire’s son, Joe, also kicks goals as a punter at Ohio State University in the United States.
His father, Eddie, also began his television career at Ten as a young sports reporter in the 1980s before joining Nine in 1993.
Although Eddie admits that he brought his son to the Neighbors screen test, he said that he was not involved in the casting and that Xander “did this all on his own and on merit.”
Meanwhile, McGuire’s son Joe has also been scoring goals.
The talented athlete has been playing the field with one of the top college football teams in the United States, Ohio State University.
Known as the Buckeyes, the top-tier team has won eight national championships and regularly competes in front of more than 100,000 fans in their home stadium.
The McGuire boys, Joe and Xander, regularly attended Collingwood football matches as children, while their father, Eddie, reigned as club president for more than two decades.
Xander and Joe have spent their lives growing up in front of the cameras.
Joe McGuire, who weighs an imposing 96kg and is 188cm tall, joined as a backup to fellow Australian punter Jesse Mirco in July after speaking
The news that he had made the team was celebrated by Prokick Australia, which helps Australians get into the NFL and college football with a highly successful program running since 2007.
Both Xander and Joe grew up in the spotlight and were often photographed at red carpet events with their famous father and mother, Carla, and while attending Collingwood football matches, where their father was club president for more than two decades.